Community Of Hoven In Shock After Fire

People in a small town in north-central South Dakota have lost a centerpiece of their community.

Early this morning, fire broke out at the high school in Hoven.

Flames shot high above the building as crews from several departments fought the fire throughout the early morning hours.

There was so much damage; the building was too dangerous for the fire marshal to enter.

Crews were working hard to extinguish the blaze into the afternoon, with a lot of the residents of the small town looking on.

The majority of the damaged appeared to have taken place on the second floor. One volunteer firefighter from Hoven said he worked on the putting out the fire for over eight hours, and he has never seen a fire this intense in his five years of volunteering in the small community.

The residents of the small-town say it will be difficult to replace the building, and the memories, of the school that has stood in Hoven for decades.

“It's devastating to lose the high school. Most people went to the high school. They lost their class composites. It's just devastating to the community,” Superintendent Peggy Petersen.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Nobody was hurt in the fire. School had let out for the summer last Wednesday.

We will have more reaction from the community on this tragic event coming up tonight on KELOLAND Weekend News at 10.